Members of the Bavarian Illuminati were chosen in line with its plan of infiltrating the elite and changing society from within. Members of the nobility and influential members of the media and government were especially targeted.

The purpose of the Illuminati Dirigens or Scotch Knight level was to form administrators for the Order of the Illuminati. Knights were charged with keeping an eye out for possible Illuminati initiates within Masonic Lodges effectively forming a secret society within a secret society.

A detailed look at the most popular secret societies in conspiracy lore – The Bilderberg Group, Illuminati, Skull and Bones, Council on Foreign Relations, Trilateral Commission, Priory of Sion, Bohemian Grove, Freemasonry, Committee of 300 and the Knights Templar.